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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. rock — a stone
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. rock — music
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. bulb — for light
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. key — in music
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. wind — moving air
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. bulb — for light
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. wind — moving air
  17. prune — to trim
  18. fall — the season
  19. cell — a phone
  20. prune — to trim
  21. key — for a lock
  22. fall — to drop
  23. cell — in biology
  24. fall — to drop

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com